Hiring a professional home stager can be a game-changer when preparing your home for sale. These experts are trained to make your space look its best, presenting it in a way that appeals to the broadest pool of buyers. However, while their expertise is valuable, it’s important to remember that you are the homeowner—and you should feel comfortable with the decisions being made. Staging is about showcasing your home’s potential, but that doesn’t mean you have to blindly accept every recommendation.
Staging is an art that blends style and functionality, and sometimes, certain changes may not align with your vision, lifestyle, or the real-world needs of your family. Here’s how to push back when necessary while ensuring that your home still looks great for potential buyers.
1. Trust Your Gut When It Comes to Flow and Functionality
Stagers are often focused on creating visually appealing spaces, but as someone who lives in the home, you’re in the best position to understand how it actually functions. If a stager suggests an arrangement that doesn’t make sense in terms of flow or daily use, speak up.
Take, for example, a situation I encountered when staging my own home. The stagers initially placed large stools under our kitchen island to make the space look more functional and cozy. However, after testing the setup during a casual lunch, we realized that there wasn’t enough space between the stools and the dining table for comfortable movement. The stagers believed the arrangement was fine, but I knew it wasn’t going to work for everyday living. After a bit of back and forth, we adjusted the setup to allow for better flow, which ultimately made the space feel more comfortable and usable.
The key takeaway? While stagers aim for aesthetic appeal, you are the one living in the space, and you have to balance design with functionality. Don’t be afraid to suggest changes if something feels off.
2. Consider Practicality Over Pure Aesthetics
Sometimes, stagers might suggest changes that look great in a magazine spread but don’t offer any real benefit to the home or your lifestyle. It’s important to evaluate whether a recommendation makes sense in the long run or if it’s purely about looks.
One such instance in my experience involved a suggestion to remove two perfectly functional light fixtures over the kitchen sink. The stagers thought that removing them and capping the holes would create a more open, airy feeling, enhancing the view. While that sounds lovely in theory, the light fixtures actually added to the kitchen’s functionality by providing much-needed light for cooking. Plus, we didn’t mind the fixtures’ appearance. So, we opted to keep them and save the $200 it would have cost to make the change.
This is a great example of how staging should complement your needs, not override them. Keep in mind that while creating an inviting visual appeal is important, it should not come at the expense of something that serves a practical purpose in your daily life.
3. Be Honest About Your Home’s Personality
When working with a stager, it’s tempting to allow them to completely redesign your space. After all, they know what buyers are looking for, right? While this is true, it’s also important to remember that your home has a unique personality. A successful staging should enhance what’s already great about your space, not strip away its character entirely.
For example, if you’ve spent years curating a cozy, personal style that feels warm and inviting, you don’t want a stager to transform your home into a minimalist showpiece that feels cold and impersonal. Express your vision and expectations clearly from the beginning, and work with the stager to make adjustments that still reflect the essence of your home.
Staging is about creating a sense of possibility, but it’s also about ensuring that the home still feels “liveable” to potential buyers. If a particular change doesn’t resonate with you, there’s no harm in asking for a modification.
4. Find the Balance Between Budget and Design
It’s easy to get caught up in the excitement of staging and start making costly upgrades that may not be necessary. Some stagers might recommend expensive changes, like replacing perfectly good fixtures or buying high-end furniture. While these suggestions are aimed at maximizing the home’s appeal, they might not always be the best use of your budget.
For instance, when it came to staging our home, the stagers proposed spending money on expensive changes to the lighting fixtures. However, we realized that the fixtures in place already worked fine and were in good condition. Instead of agreeing to a costly renovation, we chose to keep them and focus on more budget-friendly updates, such as repainting or rearranging furniture.
As the homeowner, you should always evaluate whether the proposed changes align with your budget and whether they will provide a return on investment. It’s okay to push back and choose more cost-effective solutions that still make a strong impact.
5. Remember That You’re a Team
Staging is a collaborative process. While stagers bring invaluable experience, you are the one who knows your home and its quirks the best. By communicating openly and working together, you can create a space that not only looks great but also works for you.
If you disagree with a suggestion, share your reasoning. Good stagers will appreciate your feedback and should be willing to adjust the design to suit your needs and preferences. Remember, the goal is to present your home in the best possible light, but it should still feel like your space. You want potential buyers to be able to imagine themselves in the home, but you also want it to stay functional and authentic to its layout and character.
Conclusion: Assert Your Vision, But Keep the Big Picture in Mind
While hiring a professional stager can elevate the appeal of your home, don’t be afraid to assert your own preferences and practical needs during the process. Staging should be about enhancing your home, not turning it into something unrecognizable. Whether it’s tweaking a furniture arrangement to improve flow, keeping functional light fixtures, or opting for budget-friendly alternatives, your input is invaluable.
At the end of the day, staging is about creating an environment that allows buyers to imagine their own life in your space. A little pushback can ensure that the final result is a home that appeals to buyers while still being practical and true to its essence.
